Requirements for electrical components, such as capacitors, continually demand improvements in efficiency, reduction in size and weight, and the ability to operate under extreme environmental conditions.
For critical applications which require high operating temperatures, approaching 500.degree. C., or low operating temperatures, such as cryogenic applications, conventional capacitor technology is not feasible. Metallized film and film foil capacitors, using polymer films, formed by a winding process, represent a state-of-the-art system for high electrical energy storage. The energy storage efficiency of this type of capacitor is limited by the dielectric constant of the polymer dielectric film .epsilon.'.about. 3).
While marked improvements in energy storage could be realized by the use of higher dielectric constant ceramic materials (e.g., .epsilon.'.about. 2000), conventional processing of bulk ceramic materials provides materials that are noted for their relatively low breakdown strength, which would limit the potential gain in energy storage from the higher dielectric constant.